VOA NEWS Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
U.S. President Barack Obama has signed an order imposing sanctions on eight Iranian officials accused of rights violations following the country’s disputed 2009 presidential election.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the action Wednesday, saying a “steady deterioration” of rights conditions in Iran prompted the U.S. to take actions that she said “correspond to our deep concern.”
The list of individuals being targeted includes
Other officials include former Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli and former Intelligence Minister Qolam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei.
The order bans Americans from doing business with any of the individuals included on the list.
Clinton said this is the first time the United States has imposed sanctions against Iran for human rights abuses.
Previous U.S. sanctions on Iran have targeted the country’s nuclear activities.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, appearing alongside Clinton, said targeting individuals, rather than imposing broad-based sanctions, can be very effective.
Geithner said banks and governments around the world often respond by cutting off their dealings with targeted individuals, and that there are already indications Iran is concerned about the implications of this trend.
He also said the targeted sanctions help the United States to avoid hurting the Iranian people, while trying to pressure the country’s leadership.
The other Iranian officials are former Prosecutor General Saeed Mortazavi, Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi and Deputy Security Commander Mostafa Mohammad Najjar. The U.S. also has targeted National Police deputy chief Ahmad-Reza Radan and Revolutionary Guards Deputy Intelligence Commander Hossein Taeb.
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